Device for raising sunken vessels



J. W. RENO.

DEVICE FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 23,1920.

1 ,373,672. Patented Apr. 5, 1921..

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTO 7 BY m J. W. RENO.

DEVICE FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, I920.

1,373,672. Patented Apr. 5,1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

i i 2 6 I I l ..1 I 1 l I 1 I0 I I l l /5 4-4fi L FIG 6 8 j Ls S W 9,S/MFP I5 00000000 I 1 6 l 6 FIG. 4 F I G. 5 INVENTOR flax BY UNITEDSTATES JESSE W. RENO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

Application filed July 23, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn W. RENO, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for Raising SunkenVessels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of raising vessels sunk beneath the seaon the bottom thereof and has for its object to devise sev eral means ordevices to be sunk into the sea at the site of the sunken vessel and beattached thereto in holes formed in the hull of the vessel for thatpurpose, as will more fully appear hereinafter.

More particularly stated, my invention consists of an improved buoyantpontoon to be attached to a sunken vessel for raising the same,consisting substantially of a cylinder vertically disposed in the seaand attached to the vessel, and closed at the top and open at thebottom, the length of the cylinder being approximately five times itsdiameter, though of course the statement thereto does not mean to limitthe dimensions of the cylinder to those stated above.

Further my invention relates to an improved method and apparatus forattaching the pontoons to the vessel.

In the accompanying drawings showing my invention, Figure 1 is a view ofmy improved hook frame.

Fig. 2 is a footing frame therefor.'

Fig. 3 is a view of the hook and footing frames assembled together.

Fig. 4 shows my improved pontoon attached by means of cables to my hookframe, the frame being shown mounted on the footing frame.

F ig. 5 shows the hull of a sunken vessel; my hook and footing frames atthe side thereof; my improved submarine tractorborne drilling mechanism,the point of a drill passing through a hole in my hook frame and throughthe outer plating of the vessel.

Fig. 6 shows a horizontal section on line a-b, Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 shows my pontoon and hook frame hooked into holes in the hull ofthe sunken vessel.

My improved pontoon, 1, is preferably made of thin sheet metal; at apoint somewhat below the middle line of the cylinder 0r pontoon I supplya band 2around the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Serial No. 398,481.

circumference of the same in order to increase the strength of the wallsof the pontoon to resist the very heavy pulling strains applied to thepontoon by the weight of the suspended vessel. These strains, because ofthe great buoyancy of my larger pontoon's, say for example, ofdimensions twelve (12) feet in diameter by sixty-six (66) feet long, addup the. total pull on the cables and hooks which support the vesselsubstantially of about two-hundred and twelve (212) tons. It will beunderstood, in order to transfer that great weight to the comparativelythin sheet metal comprising the. body of the pontoon, it is highlyimportant to form the band of reinforcingmaterial at the Zone.

where the strains occur, and into which the necessary attachments andbraces can be properlyframed. It is obvious that I can frame the bandseparately or integrally with the material of the pontoon. The cables,3, which support the weight of the vessel, are attached by bolts, 4, andshackles, 5, to a pair of channel struts, 6, inside of the band andwhich preferably may be welded to the central band of the pontoon. Thecables are brought together at their free. ends and terminate at a ring,7, at their lower ends, and the ringiis adapted to be slipped over ahook, 8, formed on a special multiple hook frame, 9, which I inventedespecially for that purpose, andwhich frame I will describe later on.

I also provide, fitted to the exterior of the pontoon, a thrust block orshoe, 10, the side thrust being transmitted to the shoe by a horizontalstrut, 11, connecting the channel struts, 6, with the interior wall ofthe pontoon. The shoe, about six (6) feet long and of suitabledimensions otherwise, is very important and useful as it serves todistribute the side thrusts, due to the inclined position of the liftingcables, over a considerable area of thevessels side. Furthermore, theshoe presents abroad, fiat sur face to the side of the vessel andmaintains the pontoon in substantially a vertical plane parallel to thevessel, and will prevent any tendency to turn about its vertical axis.

The construction which I have shown does not require the equalizinglevers in my previous application for a patent, Serial No. 361092, filedFebruary 25, 1920, in order to equalize the strains of the liftingcables in case of the vessel rising with either end higher than theother,

hook frame from its support, the footing "frame against the ship.

My present construction permits the vesscl to rise in an inclinedposition and, notwithstanding that inclination of the vessel, thepontoon will maintain its vertical position and the strain on thelifting cables will remain the same. Furthermore, by my construction, Iam enabled to distribute the lifting strain of the pontoon on the shipshull over a larger area by means of a lar e number of holes in theplating of the ship and hooks hooked in the holes and secured to thelifting cables, thus subjecting the hull of the ship toonly a moderatestrain at any one point. 7

I will now proceed to describe the method by which I accomplish thatdistribution of strains.

The first operation consists in lowering to the sea bed, adjacent to theside of the ship, S, the hook frame, 9. This frame is preferably 'asteelcasting of more or less triangular shape in outline as shown, andis very strong. The hook frame has a series of holes, 12, which registerin line ,with hooks, 13, formed on the frame below the holes. The holesare intended to serve as a templet to guide the drill, 14:, workingthrough the deep water working chamber, 15, carried on a tractor, 16.The hook frame is temporarily supported in the footing frame, 9

, comprising vertically braced upright guide bars, 17, and horizontallybraced footing'bars,*18, the bars being braced together by other bars,19. The footing frame rests on the sea bed and braces the hook When allthe holes have been drilled through the ships plating in the mannerabove related, the pontoon is drawn down by the drum, 20,"on thetractor, winding up the cable, 21, secured to the pontoon. In thedrawing I have shown my improved means for drawing down the pontoondisclosed in my application for a patent, Serial Number $70,664:, filedApril 2, 1920..

When the pontoon has been drawn down,

the ring, 7, is hooked over the hook, 8, by

which means the pontoon and the hook frame are connected together, asshown in Figs. 4c and 7. The pontoon is then permitted to rise veryslowly which frees the frame, and continuing to rise, and at the sametime being pushed with considerable force against the side of the shipby the adjusting rod, 22, mounted in the working chamber, 15, the seriesof hooks, 13, are caused to enter into and engage their respective holesin the hull of the ship, and thus to secure the pontoon to the vessel.It

is important to have a considerable number 7 of the hooks, 13, so as todistribute the strains over a large number of holes which have beendrilled into the ships plating. When the strain of the ship comes uponthe pontoon, it is well taken care of by the band of materialreinforcing the pontoon and the shoe, as has already been described.

7 What I claim is:

1. A pontoon, having a closed upper end and open lower end, adapted tobe vertically disposed in the sea, and lifting cables eX- tended up tothe pontoon to the approximate middle line thereof, and at which pointsecured to the walls of the pontoon.

2. A pontoon, with a reinforced band in the zone of its length or heightwhere the strains occur, for attachment of lifting cables and todistribute the vertical strains over the thin walls of the pontoon.

3. A pressure shoe, adapted to be placed between a sunken ship and thewall of a pontoon, to relieve the wall of the pontoon from the thrust ofthe lifting cables as it is forced against the'hull of the ship.

1. A hook frame, adapted to be connected to a pontoon, the said framehaving a series of hooks adapted to hook into holes in the hull ofasunken vessel.

5. A hook frame, adapted to be connected to a pontoon, having a seriesof holes to constitute a templet for a drill to form holes in the hullof a sunken vessel, and

position to facilitate the work of entering the hooks into the holes. iIn testimony whereof, I have. signed my name to this specification.

' JESSE W. RENO.

